Side light-emitting device, backlight unit having the side light-emitting device, and liquid crystal display apparatus employing the backlight unit

Abstract

A side light-emitting device, a backlight unit using the side light-emitting device as a light source, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus employing the backlight unit. The side light-emitting device includes a light-emitting device to generate light and a side emitter disposed adjacent to the light-emitting device to emit the light incident from the light-emitting device in a lateral direction. The side emitter includes a reflecting surface to reflect incident light, and a reflecting / refracting surface to totally internally reflect light incident directly from the light-emitting device to the reflecting surface and to refract the light incident from the reflecting surface so that the refracted light propagates in the lateral direction. Since the side light-emitting device emits most the light in the lateral direction, using the side light-emitting device as a light source in a backlight unit allows light to be mixed evenly.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0087059, filed on Oct. 29, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present general inventive concept relates to a side light-emitting device, a backlight unit using the side light-emitting device as a light source, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus employing the backlight unit.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a non-emissive (i.e., passive) flat panel display that needs an external light source to produce an image, since the LCD itself does not emit light. A backlight unit is located behind the LCD and emits light.[0006]Backlight units are classified as direct light type backlight units and edge light type backlight units according to the position in which ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The present general inventive concept provides a simple side light-emitting device that is easy to manufacture and emits light over a wide area, a slim backlight unit using the side light-emitting device as a light source, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus employing the backlight unit.

[0021]The backlight unit may further include at least one of a brightness enhancement film (BEF) to improve directionality of light beams passing through the first transmissive diffusion plate and a polarization enhancement film to increase efficiency of polarization.

Problems solved by technology

However, the conventional side-emitting LED cannot satisfy this requirement.

Another drawback of the conventional side-emitting LED is that it is difficult to manufacture due to the complicated structure of the reflecting surface 3, the first refracting surface 5, and the second refracting surface 7 having a curved shape.

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